WORK on a £30m project to improve Redcar’s sea defences was starting today.

A new sea wall will raise the height of defences by 2ft and protect more than 1,000 homes from flooding.

The Environment Agency has appointed Birse Coastal as its onsite contractor, which is beginning work.

The existing sea wall has been battered for many years and is starting to crumble, meaning regular repairs are needed.

Last year, storm surges caused very high tides and left big holes in large sections of the existing sea wall.

The new defences will stretch for 2.7kms, from Coatham to the eastern end of The Stray, and are intended to reduce coastal erosion and flood risk for the next 100 years.

Environment Agency project manager James Mead said: “The new sea wall will be built to protect the residents of Redcar for many years to come.

“Our contractors will assemble the wall from pre-cast concrete sections, a bit like giant Lego, with pieces winched into place by crane.

“The new wall will be built to cope with changes in sea levels, which are currently predicted to rise by about 85cms over the next 100 years.”

He said the new wall will be a consistent height along its length, unlike the existing structure, and be an average 0.7metres - 2.3ft - higher.

Redcar and Cleveland Council have commissioned a new landscape design for the Esplanade, which will reduce the impact of the new wall.

The new sea wall, the seafront improvements - including the controversial vertical pier - a MyPlace youth building and a proposed new leisure and swimming pool complex off Coatham Road all form part of a £75m investment in Redcar over the next three years.

The Environment Agency estimates that 978 homes and 209 business premises are currently at risk from flooding caused by “overtopping” - where water surges over the top of the existing wall during severe high tides or storms, runs down into Redcar and collects in low-lying areas.

Only exceptionally strong storms - with a one in 300 chance of happening in any given year - will be powerful enough to overtop the new wall.

Without it, the coast would erode at an average 0.6metres each year, putting a further 184 homes and 98 commercial properties at risk from erosion over the next 100 years.

The new wall includes steps on the sea-facing slope, to reduce the power of the waves hitting it, and a curved top section to help throw water back towards the sea. The design allows for sea level rises for the next 50 years. Construction is expected to take two years and will be done section by section to minimise disruption.

Redcar and Cleveland Cabinet member for economic development, Cllr Mark Hannon, pictured inset, said: “Protecting the residents of Redcar from the sea is vital if we are to combat rising sea levels in the future. The council, working with the Environment Agency, have taken the opportunity to work together to develop and improve the seafront and put Redcar back on the map.”